Ok the other day I had pulled to out my duvet in the middle of the night to stop my fingers and toes from freezing over. Bangalore is currently in a weather spell where it is cloudy and rainy because of the cyclones from Chennai and also chilly and cold as it is turning winter.
The city is slowly coming into itself. - Starbucks have brought out their Christmas seasonal drinks, Brigade road is getting its seasonal fairy lights and the malls are setting up their giant Christmas trees. Even though Christmas is nearly 5 weeks away I can't help feeling super excited for it.
I guess it is the cold that gets me in the good mood. I have always come across people complaining if it gets cloudy and rainy but I thrive in this weather. I am found pulling out my favourite sweatshirts, Christmas jumpers, my reindeer socks and my numerous scarves.
But I am also found with one other thing. Its always a large mug-full of my favourite warming, soothing, hot cuppa.
Hot chocolate
There can be nothing better than a cup of hot chocolate when you feel like your fingers have gone numb. And if you are the person who finds rain and cold irksome and depressing then the chocolate will help your mood.
I agree you can buy perfectly good hot cocoa mix in the supermarkets today but my hot chocolate mix is pretty phenomenal and greatly festive. Considering it is the festival season I think it is ok to indulge too.
Ingredients:
Unsweetened cocoa powder
Sugar
70% Dark chocolate
Vanilla custard/ pudding mix
Mini marshmallows
Procedure:
Into a glass jar of your choice, add the cocoa powder till about a fifth of the jar is filled. Now add the sugar and Vanilla custard mix powder in the same quantity as the cocoa powder. Now break the dark chocolate into tiny pieces or cut it into shards and add till yet another fifth of the jar is covered. Finally add the marshmallows till the very top and seal with the lid.
To make the hot chocolate:
To serve one person, add about two tablespoons of the hot chocolate mixture into a pan (set aside the marshmallows for later) and add a small splash of milk at room temperature. Stir with a fork till there are no lumps and add about a cup full of milk. Set this on a low flame and stir till the chocolate has dissolved and the liquid is smoking and thickened.
Pour this into a mug of your choice and tumble in the marshmallows. If you are in the mood for it then add a swirl of whipped cream, more marshmallows and a sprinkling of chocolate chips on top.
White hot chocolate
If you love dark hot chocolate or if you feel like you have had enough to last you a lifetime (which happens to me after I have had a large mug everyday for a week) then this is a delicious alternative. This pale, creamy white hot chocolate is nothing short of magnificence and equally delicious and flavourful as the dark hot chocolate above.
This too is just as simple and easy to make as the above recipe but with a small alteration in the ingredients.
Ingredients:
Sugar
Vanilla custard/ pudding mix
White chocolate
Mini marshmallows
Procedure:
Into a glass jar of your choice add a fourth of each of the above ingredients. Break the chocolate into tiny pieces or shards and seal with the lid.
To make the white hot chocolate:
To serve one person, add about two tablespoons of the white hot chocolate mixture into a pan (set aside the marshmallows for later) and add a small splash of milk at room temperature. Stir with a fork till there are no lumps and add about a cup full of milk. Set this on a low flame and stir till the chocolate has dissolved and the liquid is smoking and thickened.
Pour this into a mug of your choice and tumble in the marshmallows. If you are in the mood for it then add a swirl of whipped cream, more marshmallows and a fresh grating of nutmeg on top.
Spiced Darjeeling tea mix
If you are a tea addict like most of us Indians are, then you will be so glad this came into your life. It is spicy and so warming that it is almost like mulled wine. If you do want a splash of alcohol then you can add a generous slosh of rum into this drink and in the above ones as well to keep you going. I absolutely love this and this makes waking up in the morning so much easier.
Ingredients:
Darjeeling tea leaves (or chai leaves)
Sugar
4 tablespoons black pepper
4 tablespoons cumin seeds
1 long dried lemon grass
1 dried ginger root
6 green cardamom pods
1 stick of cinnamon
Procedure:
Into a glass jar of your choice add the tea leaves till a third of the jar is filled and add the sugar till another third of the jar is filled. Now add in the black peppercorns, the cumin seeds and the green cardamom pods. Break the cinnamon stick, dried lemon grass and dried ginger root into tiny pieces and add on top. Seal with the lid to store.
To make the spiced Darjeeling tea
To serve one person, add about two tablespoons of the tea mixture into a pan and add a small splash of water. Place this on medium flame and let it come to a boil. Now add a cup of milk, stir with a fork and simmer for about a minute or two till the milk has taken on the color and flavour of the tea and the spices. Strain the tea and pour it into a mug of your choice.
If you are in the mood for it then add a swirl of whipped cream for a bit of an indulgence.
That being said you can watch me make these on YouTube and while you are at it subscribe to my channel and give the video a thumbs up if you enjoyed it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxFkjJVDG9w
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxFkjJVDG9w
If you try this you can take pictures and tag me in Instagram @sriranjani_n
We can also be friends on twitter @Iamsriranjani
Let me know in the comments if you try this and how you liked it because I am so curious.
